When it comes to wording your invitations there are a few things to consider. The design and language used on your invitations will set the tone for your special day so make sure you keep everything consistent. If you are planning a formal wedding let the wording reflect that. On the other hand, if you want a more relaxed feel keep your wording casual and fun.

Most importantly, make sure your wording includes all of the important information your guests’ will need to know. Below is a step by step guide to writing your invitation.

HOSTLINE

The first line of the invitation should tell the guest’s who is inviting them to the wedding. This can get a bit political as some traditions, like the Bride’s or couple’s parents hosting the wedding, are not necessarily followed these days. Most commonly the hostline will be ‘Together with their families’ to keep things simple. Now days it’s quite common for the couple themselves to host their own wedding therefore the hostline could be omitted entirely. Below are some examples of popular hostlines.

COUPLE’S NAMES

There are a few decisions that need to be made regarding how you will list your names. Firstly, will you use your full names or just your first names? If you’re holding a more formal wedding full names are probably going to work best. If you want to keep your wedding casual you could just use your first names, or more casual still, your shortened names or nicknames. You will also need to decide who’s name will appear first. Traditionally, the Bride’s name is usually first, however these days those rules are mostly obsolete.

INVITATION

This is where the invitation actually takes place. Again, you can use this line to give an idea of the formality of your event. An example of a more formal invitation is ‘Request the honour of your presence at their marriage’. A more casual way to invite your guests would be ‘Invite you to celebrate their marriage’. In this section you might like to also address the guests personally which can be helpful if you are need to specify exactly who is invited (where partners or children aren’t invited). For example ‘Invite John to join them in celebrating their marriage’.

IMPORTANT DETAILS

Keep the ceremony and reception information as simple and straight forward as possible. Be sure to include the time, date and place very clearly. Some invitations use numerals, for example ‘3PM’ whereas the more formal invitations tend to spell out numbers, for example ‘three o’clock in the afternoon’. I personally like the use of ‘o’clock in the afternoon’ as opposed to AM or PM however I prefer the use of numerals rather than spelling out times and dates to keep things simple.

EXTRAS

If you aren’t having an information card and need to include extra details on your invitation here is the place to do it. Some examples of extra info would be RSVP details, Gift registry details, Recovery details, direction of whether or not children are invited.

EXAMPLES

Below are some examples of invitation wording to inspire you.

Together with their families

Fay & Sydney

Request the pleasure of your companyat the celebration of their marriage

Saturday, 7th of December 2017at 3 o’clock in the afternoon

Old Government House,270 Anne Street, Brisbane

Dinner and dancing to follow

Please RSVP via enclosed card beforeSaturday 1st November, 2017

It is with great pleasure that

Fay & Sydney

Invite you to join in the celebration of their marriage

Saturday, seventh of Decembertwo thousand and seventeenat three o’clock in the afternoon

Old Government House,270 Anne Street, Brisbane

Dinner and dancing to follow

Please RSVP before first Novmbertwo thousand and seventeento fayandsyd@gmail.com.au

Deborah & John along withMary & David invite you to celebratethe marriage of their children

Fay & Sydney

Saturday, seventh of Decembertwo thousand and seventeenat three o’clock in the afternoon

Old Government House,270 Anne Street, Brisbane

Reception to follow at Restaurant Two100 Queen Street, Brisbanefrom six o'clock in the evening.

Regrettably, we cannot accommodate children.Thank you for your understanding.